


Once More Into The Fray

by Ange_Ampoule



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Multi, if ben wasnt a skywalker AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-03-01 11:03:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13293459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ange_Ampoule/pseuds/Ange_Ampoule
Summary: (a definite work in progress.)A universe where Kylo Ren is Darth Ren, and Rey and Finn are full-blown Padawans.Training under the guidance of Master Luke Skywalker, 14-year-old Rey and 19-year-old Finn are becoming the best of the best; they've almost fully mastered everything Luke has to offer and then some, proving that they may have what it takes to lead the Resistance to victory against the evil of the First Order, led by Darth Ren and his Knights. With the strategies of General Organa and Flying Fighter Leader Solo, they seem to have it in the bag; but as the Order edges closer and closer to Chandrila, the Republic's second and last capital, Rey gets a vision that could undo everything that she's believed in. It's up to her, Finn, and Commander Poe to figure out what it means before Darth Ren arrives and destroys them all!





	1. Before Everything, There's Hope.

**Author's Note:**

> hi this is my thing I've been working on, leave a comment if you like it or think it needs improvement. Enjoy hopefully.

Sand. Oh, how Luke hated sand. He shielded his eyes against the brilliance of the yellow-white star that baked Jakku; he was glad that there was only one, yet his heart tugged, wanting the familiarity of two. He shook his head of the memory and stepped out of the X-wing, sinking into the dune slightly; he turned and looked ahead, seeing the lines of a fallen AT-AT against the desert’s horizon. He jerked his head towards it and spoke to his pilot.

“That it over there?” His voice was gruffer now, but it still held the hope of the young man he used to be. His pilot nodded, his curly black hair bouncing against his forehead.

“Sure is, sir. Readings indicate she’s inside. Might be living in the command pit.” 

“Probably. Keep the ship ready to leave in case trouble comes.”

“Yes, sir.” His pilot nodded again, then frowned. “Master Skywalker, are you sure she’s the last?”

Luke bit his cheek and shrugged slightly. “I doubt it, Poe. But for now, she might be.” He began to walk towards the broken remains of the Empire’s technology. 

“I hope she’s alright,” He spoke aloud, mainly to himself. “Living by yourself sure does a number on your mental health.”

Reaching the AT-AT, he stopped. He examined it; the foot seemed to have a hatch. He raised a fist, hesitated, then knocked once. Twice. Three times. 

There was a sudden spike in the air, like someone injected it with adrenaline.

“Hello?” Luke called. “I’m looking for a little girl. Is anyone in there?”

He heard a slight thump inside, like someone hiding. He bit his cheek again and knocked once more. “Hello? I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to talk. I promise.”

A few beats of silence were all he could hear, then footsteps; they stopped right behind the door. 

“What do you want? Who are you?” A small voice asked, muffled by the foot of metal between the two of them. Luke cleared his throat. 

“I’m looking for a girl named Rey. My name is Luke Skywalker.”

One beat of silence; the door cracked open.

“Luke…Skywalker? I thought he was a myth.” The small voice accused, raising slightly. Luke tried not to smile and crouched down, tilting his head as he tried to look at the girl behind the door.

“I’m not a myth. I’m a Jedi Master, and I’m here to take Rey back to my school. I hear she’s really special.” He smiled, and it could be heard through his voice. The girl must’ve heard it as well, because she swung the door open. 

Luke couldn’t keep the smile on his face once he saw her—the child was filthy, and obviously starved. She only looked to be about seven or eight; she couldn’t have been here longer than a year, otherwise she wouldn’t have made it, he was certain. She was holding a small pipe to herself, like it was her only defense in the whole galaxy. Luke’s heart broke; he smiled sadly and genuinely then, reaching a hand out in greeting.

“Hello, Rey.”

She pursed her lips, her eyes wide with fear, before tentatively reaching out and taking his hand. “Hi, Master Luke. I’m…well, you know.” She giggled slightly before dropping her smile. “I’m sorry, but…I can’t go with you. I’m waiting for my parents. They’re coming back soon.”

His heart broke more; she had no idea what had happened. He shook his head at the intruding memory that threatened to break over his lips, deciding now wasn’t the time; instead, he gently took both of her hands in his own. “I know, sweetheart. But they aren’t coming back…” he inwardly grimaced. “…at least, not for a long time. Why don’t you come with me while you wait for them? I can keep you safe and teach you the ways of the Force…and feed you.” He smiled again as her stomach growled and her eyes lit up; she clearly liked the idea. She looked at her makeshift home, doubt creeping onto her face.

“Oh, I don’t know…” she whispered. Luke thought for a moment before snapping his fingers.

“Aha!”

She jumped. “Huh? What is it?”

“How about this: instead of definitely coming to stay, why don’t I just take you back to show you around? If you like it, you’re more than welcome to stay while you wait. If you don’t, I’ll bring you back here! How does that sound?” Luke grinned excitedly; the little girl caught it and smiled back. 

“That sounds much better. I’d be glad to come, as long as I get snacks!” She said, tilting her head at him to make a point. He laughed.

“You’ll get a full meal, not a snack! Come on, I want to introduce you to my pilot, Poe. He’d love to meet you.” He put his hand out, and she took it. The air around them seemed to crackle with opportunity, and Luke saw flashes in front of him; a young girl with a double-sided saber, practicing with a smart Padawan in a tan and orange jacket. The vision faded, and with it, all of Luke’s doubt; this little girl, this Rey?

She’s their new hope.


	2. After Hope,There's Confidence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, hope yall like it.  
> Shavit = shit  
> Kriff = fuck  
> Niko = a reformed Nines, aged 18. Rescued at age 15.

- _6 years later_ -

Sweat dripped off of his nose as Finn dodged a stabbing thrust from his opponent; grabbing his wrist, Finn twisted himself closer and the wrist clockwise, causing his opponent to drop his saber. Finn retracted his own saber and let go of the boy’s wrist, huffing but proud. The boy grunted, whisking his hair out of his face.

“ _Shavit_ , Finn! You could’ve broken me!” The boy exclaimed, his cheeks ruddy, his eyes alight from their skirmish. Finn only laughed.

“Relax, Niko. You know I’ve always got your back.” Finn smiled and extended his hand, which Niko took gladly, and the two exchanged their own secret handshake before breaking into laughter. 

“You’d think these laser swords would be easier to wield after having them for…how many years? Four?” Niko rotated his shoulder.

“Nah, it’s been three and a half for you.” Finn corrected; he clipped his saber to his belt and took off his training gloves. Niko watched him for a moment before furrowing his brow. 

“Is Skywalker taking you out with him later, or is he taking that girl again?”

Finn frowned. He didn’t know the answer, but he could only guess; she’d been here in less time than him and had quickly gained Luke’s favor, which bothered Finn, but he tried his best to channel it into training to make himself an even better Jedi. Finn turned to Niko and shrugged. “I haven’t asked. I was planning on it after this session; do you think I should mention the maneuver I used on you? I don’t know if he’d approve.”

Niko bit his lip. “Maybe not. He might think you learned it from the Corps again.” Finn reluctantly nodded, disappointment humming in his stomach. He looked at Niko and noticed that his friend looked distant and distressed; he waved a hand in front of his face, raising an eyebrow.

“Hey, buddy, you ok? What’re you thinking about?”

“I…” Niko scrunched up his nose, letting his voice drop to a mumble. “I miss Slips, Finn. I hope he’s ok.”

Finn felt his heart drop. He pulled his friend into a one-armed hug, letting Niko rest his forehead on his shoulder. “I know, Niko. I miss him too.” He rubbed his friend’s back for a moment before separating them, ruffling Niko’s hair. “But listen, we’ll find him one of these days, y’know? He’s out there; we just have to hold out hope. Ok?” 

Niko smiled slightly. “You don’t have to talk to me like I’m a kid, man. I’m only a year younger than you.” 

Finn rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, I know, but…that’s what I wish I’d heard from someone when I was worried about you.” Niko raised his eyebrows, and Finn gave him a toothy grin. “Go on and get some lunch without me, I’ll join you once I talk to Master Luke.”

Niko nodded and left, and Finn dropped his smile. 

Slips. He missed him more and more every day; the three of them had been inseparable in Corps training, and during their missions, they were unstoppable. Finn left the room and headed for Luke’s meditation room. He could only hope that wherever he was, Slips was safe.

He entered the room and waited for Luke to open an eye to see who had entered before bowing at the waist. “Master.”

“Hey Finn. Have you eaten yet today? Can’t go training on an empty stomach, keeps you too anxious.” Luke Skywalker closed his eyes and stayed seated; Finn raised an eyebrow. 

“I uh, I haven’t yet. I wanted to ask you something before I did.”

Luke cracked his eye back open, fully aware of how nervous one of his top Padawans sounded. He frowned. “Is it about the Falcon? I’d rather leave that to Han and Poe, personally. The old girl is too trashy to drive around these days—”

“No, sir. I wanted to ask if I could accompany you to help retrieve that artifact you wanted later today.” Finn said briskly. He wasn’t interested in flying; Poe could take him anywhere, and that was enough for him. He watched Luke purse his lips; he felt like he could see the gears in his Master’s head turning. 

“Well, I don’t see why not. I was planning on just bringing Rey again, but I want you to get some more experience in the field; as much potential as she has, you deserve my attention too.” Luke nodded as he spoke, and Finn had to fight to keep his face neutral; here was his chance to leave the Temple with a real Jedi Knight, to see the galaxy as the Jedi do, and he didn’t have to bargain for it! His heart raced; he was overjoyed.

“Thank you, Master Luke. I look forward to our trip. I’ll go pack.” He bowed again; Luke chuckled.

“You kids and your bowing. Yoda would’ve thrown his cane by now. Get going.” 

Finn exited and stood outside the door for a second before letting out a loud whoop and racing down the hall, his smile so wide it was starting to hurt his cheeks. His second real mission as a Padawan! He couldn’t wait, he wanted to show Luke how much he knew, he wanted to prove how ready he was to become a real Jedi, he wanted-

After rounding a corner, Finn slammed into a girl, and they both crashed to the ground.

“Oh kriff! Oh, _kriff_! I’m so sorry!” Finn cried, sitting up and checking on the girl. She was looking at him with a huge look of annoyance, and— “Oh. It’s you.” He said, raising his eyebrows.

“Yes, it’s me.” Rey grunted, glaring at him. “Could you give me a hand instead of gawking at me?” 

Finn scoffed and fought the oncoming wash of embarrassment he felt. “I’m not...gawking. I’m just surprised you’re walking around here. I thought you’d be somewhere else, showing off or something.” He helped her up, and she sputtered.

“S-showing off? _Excuse_ me? Do I know you?” She cried, her surprise plain on her features; Finn internally winced; this wasn't a good first impression to leave on Skywalker's favorite. 

“I’m sorry, I just usually only hear about you through other students, and they paint you as…kind of bratty.” He looked at her, really looked at her, and realized she couldn’t be more than fourteen; her hair was half up in a messy bun, stray hairs framing her face, and her eyes were stormy, holding more weight than a child should. Her saber was new, freshly polished, and he made a mental check to re-polish his later. She crossed her arms and bit her cheek, and he realized she was shy.

“They do? …That’s a shame, honestly. I try to be as nice as I can to whoever I meet.” She sounded hurt. Finn instantly felt sorry for her; he offered a hand. 

“Well, you seem ok to me, Rey. I’m gonna be joining you and Luke for your trip later. My name's Finn.” He smiled, and she reflected it as she shook his hand. At the first brush of their fingers, the air charged with an energy that had Finn shaking; he retracted his hand from hers after a moment, letting the energy recede. He looked at her, puzzled. 

“Really! I’m glad; he’s so odd to talk to by myself.” She laughed, and he was struck with how light it was. He smiled, flexing the fingers she had gripped not even two minutes before. The air charged with a fuzzy energy that seemed to ripple her happiness, and Finn understood. She was more with the Force than he’d realized. 

“You are something else, aren’t you?”

“I’ve been told that. I’ve heard about you though, Finn. You’re the rebel.” Her words were meant to be polite, but they still carried a sting he didn’t like.

“Ah, yeah. I left the Order when I was eleven. I escaped with Poe and I never looked back.” His tone carried the exhaustion of his nineteen years of life and caused Rey to look away. He cleared his throat. “I think we better go gather our things. I’ll meet you at the X-wing.”

“Yeah, that sounds good. See you later Finn.” She nodded and left, leaving him to his lonesome yet again. He swallowed, suddenly hit by a wave of anxiety. 

“Yeah.”


End file.
